Macassa in Hamilton, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Right Honourable Vincent Massey
Photographed By Tim Boyd
1. The Right Honourable Vincent Massey Marker
Inscription.
The Right Honourable Vincent Massey. . On the morning of June 25, 1958, His Excellency, the Governor General of Canada arrived in Hamilton by train from Union Station. His itinerary for the day was full but not difficult; officially open Vincent Massey Public School and the Royal Botanical Gardens' headquarters, shake hands with school children, and rededicate the United Empire Loyalist statue on Main Street. After a lifetime of service to Canada, Charles Vincent Massey had earned these simple things., Massey (1887-1967) was heir to the Massey-Harris Company fortune (later Massey-Ferguson). But his devout Methodist family, privilege went hand in hand with work, study and service. He excelled at the University of Toronto. At Oxford, he befriended future Prime Minister Mackenzie King. At Victoria University, he was the Dean of Men, and ultimately, Chancellor of the University of Toronto. In mitary service, he enlisted with the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and served on Prime Minister Borden's War Committee during world war one. In diplomacy, he served as Canada's first fully credentialed Ambassador to a foreign capital (Washington), as High Commissioner to Great Britain and as Canada’s representative at the League of Nations. In 1952, Massey was appointed the 18th Governor General, the first Canadian-born person to hold the office since Confederation., Massey's legacy is perhaps best known in arts and culture. The National Library of Canada, the Canada Council of the Arts, Massey College, Hart House, the Massey Medals for Architecture, and the annual Massey Lectures, all, to some degree, owe their existence to Vincent Massey. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Massey the Royal Victorian Chain, making him one of only two Canadians ever to receive it., City of Hamilton , 2016 ,
On the morning of June 25, 1958, His Excellency, the Governor General of Canada arrived in Hamilton by train from Union Station. His itinerary for the day was full but not difficult; officially open Vincent Massey Public School and the Royal Botanical Gardens' headquarters, shake
hands with school children, and rededicate the United Empire Loyalist statue on Main Street. After a lifetime of service to Canada, Charles Vincent Massey had earned these
simple things.
Massey (1887-1967) was heir to the Massey-Harris Company
fortune (later Massey-Ferguson). But his devout Methodist
family, privilege went hand in hand with work, study and
service. He excelled at the University of Toronto. At Oxford, he befriended future Prime Minister Mackenzie King. At Victoria University, he was the Dean of Men, and ultimately, Chancellor of the University of Toronto. In mitary service, he enlisted with the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and served on Prime Minister Borden's War Committee during WWI. In diplomacy, he served as Canada's first fully credentialed Ambassador to a foreign capital (Washington), as High Commissioner to Great Britain and as Canada’s representative at the League of Nations. In 1952, Massey was appointed the 18th Governor General, the first Canadian-born person to hold the office since Confederation.
Massey's
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legacy is perhaps best known in arts and culture.
The National Library of Canada, the Canada Council of the
Arts, Massey College, Hart House, the Massey Medals for
Architecture, and the annual Massey Lectures, all, to some
degree, owe their existence to Vincent Massey.
In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Massey the Royal
Victorian Chain, making him one of only two Canadians ever
to receive it.
City of Hamilton
2016
Erected 2016 by City of Hamilton.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics. A significant historical date for this entry is June 25, 1958.
Location. 43° 13.567′ N, 79° 50.558′ W. Marker is in Hamilton, Ontario. It is in Macassa. Marker is at the intersection of East 37th Street and 7th Avenue, on the left when traveling south on East 37th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hamilton ON L8V 4B6, Canada. Touch for directions.
With Vincent Massey's appointment as Governor General, a new tradition began – he was the first Canadian appointed to the post, and from that day the Governor General has always been a Canadian citizen. If the innovation had any detractors, they were soon won over by Mr. Massey's exceptional qualities in the viceregal role.
(Submitted on November 21, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)
3. The Right Honourable Vincent Massey marker inset detail
(Text)
"I always like visiting schools. I am happy in their atmosphere. A school, of course, is not primarily a building. It is a community of persons - teachers and pupils - and the building is the frame in which they work.
I shall, as The Queen's Representative, ask that the boys and girls of the Vincent Massey Public School should be given a half holiday this afternoon, and I would ask them to remember it as
"The Queen's Holiday."
I now have much pleasure in declaring
The Vincent Massey Public School officially open. June 25, 1958
(Fifty-three years later, the building ceased to be a school, but "the community of teachers and pupils" on Hamilton Mountain continues. Photo courtesy Local History &
Archives, Hamilton Public Library)
4. The Right Honourable Vincent Massey
As Governor-General of Canada, official portrait
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 21, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.